As i See IT

I Don’t Sell BS- Personal vs Personna Branding

// July 18th, 2009 // Branding, Presentation, Video

As I see it …  I don’t believe in selling you BS, so  do ask me to help you engage in marketing  your “personal brand!”
With huge amounts of money being put into services that help businesses suddenly everyone is an expert!  I have sat in on so many ‘discussions lately on what is personal branding and selling; the “Personal Brand”: and “Personal branding and Social Network Marketing’.  If you disagree name me one person who is “selling a personal brand”

My initials are ‘BS’ (Bonnie Sandy), and I have no problem using them when appropriate to stress just how ridiculous something is. A “brand” is a public set of definitions, which lay out guidelines on areas that influence how people perceive you. Anyone who knows me within my project will tell you that

I don’t take shortcuts,
I am always smiling
I never get angry
I am well versed on topics on which, I speak
I am well organized
I am a team player
I won’t stand for unethical practices
I am open
I am bold

Anyone who knows me on a personal level will tell you that

My motto is the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I have a fiery temper and a vengeful spirit – I don’t get mad I get even. I use my words and truth to do so…. I won’t let you get away with BS.  I am Brutally honestI am stubborn
I can’t stand unethical behavior
I am extremely loyal
I am private
I am shy

No I am not a mental case; I simply understand the difference between personal and persona. I understand where Bonnie ends and the project begins. I don’t sell BS under  any circumstances.  Yes often I have to  stepped out of my “personal”  to accomplish the goals of  the project

Who I am where I like to hang, what I like to do, how I like look to dress are influence by the personal, emotional and creative and spiritual “space” I am in. They may change depending on the side of the bed, the weather, or how much sleep  I’ve had. Yes my personal ethics and morals are consistent and may shape my decisions, but ultimately I am responsible to myself.

On the other hand with the project I run and subsequently business that someone runs, there are expressed commitments, to others. Consistency is vital. Who (more accurately what) that business is,  where it can be found, what “it ” does and how “it” looks is part of that commitment. While not a “person” that entity has it’s own identity, a personae. Staying true to that personae and that commitment is vital to its success.

My argument iis that we sell personae, carefully package to be eperceiived in a particular light.  If you’re thinking of celebrities … these are the most carefully packaged “personae’ that exists today.  What causes  PR  headache is that these are so often so far removed from who they really are that they inevitable  get caught out of ‘character”.

When I get up in the morning short tempered and ill-mannered I just warn my son .. I’m not in the mood today. If say “Facebook” decided to be ‘exclusively a portal for businesses, first of all t hat has a process to go through before a final decision is made and even then existing clients, legal, and advertisers have to be notified. Even if an individual blogger changes his mind on his site policy or layout it is good business to notify his readers and on the pending changes in his sites personae. FaceBook’s Brand personae how we perceive it and more importantly what we expect from it and how we behave and engage with other within its confines differ from others in it sector. It has a strong Brand personae..

Even then given the standards I have chosen for the overall public perception of my “Brand”. I treat each “sites on it’s own merit. Each individual installation has a different mission, a different set of goals and objectives and even a different reader…  in short a different personae

To simply fly  what  defines a brand I ask  the artist in my project (overwhelmingly  family oriented, to think of each of their individual children then.

1. What are they wearing right now
2. Where will they shop?
3. Who is their friend”?
4. What set s them apart from their friends
5. Where will you most likely find them?
6. What, books, magazine, music will they own, borrow give away?

In their children this is personality. Packaging these elements together to define a product creates brand personae.

In The Works- Topics we plan to cover later- if you have a request post it in the comments!

• What is  “IT”
• What do you expect a “Blog” to do for you
• How to decide on the what tools you need
• Defining you vision, mission, goals and objectives.
• What do you do…What do you sell
• What’s your business’s  persona
• Personae,  Style and communiication